by Jeff Powell

On Sat May 23, 1998, I set out to earn acceptance into the Iron Butt Association (IBA). No amount of money can make you a member, you must do it the old fashion way, Eaaarrrrnnn It! The IBA is about safe long distance (LD) riding. What does it take to earn membership? Glad you asked! There are several different rides one can make to earn membership. The easiest (?) is to ride 1,000 miles in 24 hours. This is called the Saddle Sore 1,000 (SS 1,000).

Now it’s not quite as simple as jumping on the bike, riding a thousand miles,asking for your membership. NO NO NO. You must document this grand adventure to prove you have done what you claim. This involves having witness verify your starting and ending odometer readings. Usually asking a police officer is the best and most common approach. Then you must gas and other receipts along your route proving where you’ve been. The most common approach here is to use the pay at the pump feature that most pumps mow provide. If you’re in the middle of nowhere and stuck in the 70’s, you request attendant write the important info on the receipt and sign their name along with a phone number for the station. This way the verification team can call and verify your information.

You can choose any route you wish to cover the 1,000 miles but IBA does not recommend 500 out and 500 back along the same route. This is much more difficult to verify than straight line 1,000. My ride would consist of a loop beginning in Kingman, AZ to Barstow, CA to San Diego to Casa Grande, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ and back to Kingman. This was mapped out using Delorme Map’n’Go . This trip planning software said I would cover 1078 miles. Perfect! Spare miles just to insure I travel the required 1,000. I felt that the advantage to this route was the fact that it was all interstate, not great for scenery but great for covering long distances rapidly! I was planning on taking about 18-19 hours to do this based on a 9 hr., 500 mile trip about 1 month earlier.

Alarm goes off at 4:15 AM. I figure if I can get out of town by 5:00 I should be able to be back by about midnight. OK, so I don’t get out of the house until 5:00. Situation normal. I proceed to the police station to track down an officer. Now I have to admit, I’m not real good at this sort of thing. For me, approaching a stranger to ask a favor makes me feel the way most people do about speaking in front of an audience. I’d rather speak in front of an audience. As I approach the station I see a patrol car pull into the parking lot and just cruise on out. I try flashing my brights, including spotlights, to no avail. I look in the station and it looks empty. I decide that maybe I can catch the patrol car I saw. No such luck. I decide to head back to the station and try the phone in the entryway that connects to the dispatcher. As I approach the station I see a patrol car coming the opposite direction. By golly this one will notice me! I flag him down and pull into the parking lot of a closed gas station. The patrolman pulls up as I’m taking off my helmet. I explain that I am about to embark on a 1,000 mile tip and will do it in under 24 hrs. and have you ever heard of the IB and I need you to verify my odometer reading before I start. He has a kind of blank stare on his face like maybe he just finished doing 1,000 miles in less 24 hours himself. He says "Sure" and I hand him my clipboard. As he’s signing I ask "Could you please include your badge number?" (I think to myself, I hope that’s not a bad thing to ask for, like asking a woman her age) He hands me back my clipboard and I thank him profusely as he leaves. First hurdle down! I look at the witness form and realize that he has signed his name where he should have printed it and not printed his name at all. Not only that, he has only signed his first initial and last name! Oh well, I’ll worry about that when I get back. It’s a small police force, maybe the officer who verifies my ending odometer reading will know his first name.

I head over to the SHELL station because I know they have pay at the pump. I fill up, get my receipt and check for my starting time. I look up. I look down. No time anywhere on the receipt. Great start! I head inside to see about perhaps printing a different receipt that will show the time. The lady behind the counter says"Oh sure, no problem" and prints an exact duplicate to the one I’m holding. No time. The next attendant coming on duty asks to see the receipt. Damndest thing, he couldn’t find a time on it either. He hands the slip back to the lady and says "He can write the time on it himself." Well no sh*t Sherlock! I explain to the lady that it is important to me to have the time verified by someone other than myself and would she please write the current time and sign her name thank you very much. She obliges and I head out the door. Good thing I save time by using this pay at the pump thing. It’s real handy!

Well it’s 5:30 now and I’m on the interstate and on my way. There are lots of dangers in the desert like snakes, scorpions, the heat, and many miles between gas stations for thirsty Valkyries. Prudent gas stops are priority #1. I’ve determined that it’s 206 miles to Barstow and that I should be looking for gas every 100 miles. Needles CA is the only major town on the way to Barstow and it’s only about 65 miles away. Since I’ve ridden this way before I recall a gas station at a wide spot in the road on the other side of Needles and decide to go for it. As I blow through Needles I see a sign saying next services 30 miles, perfect.

I pull off at the Essex, CA exit and the waiting gas station. Pull up to the pay at the pump and all the card readers are covered up. "Please pay before pumping" the sign says. Yep, more time savings here. I give the clerk $8.00 and head back out to fill up. As I’m filling up I look at the price per gallon, $1.949! I figure I need about 4 gallons based on mileage and the pump slows down just as the gas reaches the filler neck. I head back in for my receipt. ALL RIGHT! It has the date and time but no location. I write Essex, CA at the top of the receipt, fill out my log sheet and head for Barstow. It isn’t until after I get home that I realize the time on the receipt is wrong!

I’m about 20 miles outside Barstow when I have to reach down and go to reserve. No problem I can make this distance on my 1.1 gals. of reserve. I pull into a Chevron station to the pay at the pump. HA!! This one actually works! I get my receipt and ALL pertinent info is there. Now we’re cooking! I make my notes on my log and decide to have some orange juice and a Nutra Blast bar. The bar is 50% carbohydrates to keep the energy level up since I don’t plan to stop for real meal. I start reviewing my receipt and realize that I just put 5.21 gallons of gas into a 5.28 gallon tank. I wasn’t even concerned about running out of gas and yet that’s the lowest I’ve ever run the tank. Sometimes it all works out.

I head south toward San Diego with an intermediate stop in Sun City for fuel. Since I’ve left Barstow it has been lifting fog all the way. Sun City? Someone call the Chamber of Commerce, we have a problem here! I fill up at the Chevron pay at the pump and all goes well. Get receipt, record in log, head out . This is the oft repeated task of the LD rider seeking documentation for his ride. It is also necessary for certain LD rallys.

As I head out of San Diego the fog dissipates and it warms up. As I reach the Southern CA deserts it really warms up. I figure it to be in the low 90’s. I wear an Aerostich Roadcrafter suit when I ride like this (lots of highway miles). It has Goretex for the rain so I don’t need an extra rainsuit. It has built in armor in case of a really bad event. It has several different vents in it so that it circulates air well and isn’t too uncomfortable when it’s warm. In the desert it’s better to keep covered to prevent dehydration. I also purchased a Camelback water system prior to this journey. It consists of bladder to hold liquids and an insulating pocket with shoulder straps. It has long tube with a bite valve so you can drink while you ride. Drink water you fools! This turned out to be a very worthwhile investment.

As I ride along through the desert I see a sign that says "Sea Level". No wonder it’s warm. I stop for gas again. Chevron. No authorization. See attendant. Determine that Chevron now wants a signature from whomever keeps using this card. I realize that it’s probably in my best interest but can’t help being annoyed all the same. I’m also drinking Gatorade at each stop now as well as re-filling with cold water.

I stop at a rest area for the usual things, you know. As I return to the bike a gentleman comes up very excited and says" Nice bike. Is it a Beemer?". OK, partial credit. At least he recognizes opposed cylinders and can equate that with BMW. At least he didn’t go along with the "If it’s big and got two wheels it must be a Harley" mentality. Wherever you are sir, I salute you!

I arrive at the SE corner of my ride, Casa Grande, AZ and it’s time for another receipt and fuel. I pull into the Chevron station. Walk inside and hand them my credit card go back outside and fill up. Fortunately no one suggests I use the pay at the pump. After gaining my receipt and Gatorade I go back outside and proceed to complete my log. Swell, the time is off by one hour. I go back inside and the attendant writes the correct time and signs the slip. Says the reason it’s off is because the "home" computer is on a different time zone. Personally, I’m not sure they’re capable of changing the time themselves and they just leave it.

I cruise through Phoenix and am heading north toward Flagstaff now. As I proceed I am also going up in elevation and it’s getting dark. I stop for fuel (again) and the time is wrong (again). Yes, it’s a Chevron. I bring it to the attendant’s attention and he says,"Oh, rally?" Why yes, yes it is sort of. He had run automobile rallies in another life so he understood why the time was important. He walks along the counter then reaches up and KERCHUNK! There was a time card punch and he just punched the correct time on the receipt. Cool!

Cool indeed. I was up to about 7,000 feet in elevation now and it was quite chilly. I had planned for this and stopped at a rest area. I was only wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt under my ‘Stich. I had a long sleeve cotton shirt and sweat pants in the saddle bag so I put them on along with warmer gloves and proceeded on my way.

There is something slightly disturbing about "Watch out for Elk" signs as you’re travelling 80 mph on the interstate at night. The spotlights really helped by lighting up the sides of the roads. If any 4-legged foe had been there I would have seen their beady little eyes glowing. I am now at the highest point of my trip at 7,200 feet. It is also down into the low 40’s temp. wise. I pull into a 76 station in Flagstaff for fuel. Pay at the pump. Where’s the receipt? It says it’s printing. Oh well. Been here. Done this.

As I’m travelling toward my last fuel stop before I get home, I realize that I haven’t quite dressed warmly enough and I know why those guys buy electric vests. I actually don’t feel to bad but there is just enough wind around the shield to hit my midsection and make me very cold there. As I pull into the gas station (who cares what kind it is now) I try to figure out how to stay warm the rest of the way. It’s only about 110 miles but I need to do something. I suddenly remember the Camelback and realize it can hold warm liquids as well as cold. I go to the restroom and fill it with HOT water. I then place it cross wise under the ‘Stich and zip up over it. Man, this feels great! I’m comfy the rest of the way home.

I pull into the gas station back in Kingman and fill up one last time. This will be my official ending time. As I review my receipt, you guessed it, no time! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH. The attendant prints a regular receipt from the register and it has the correct time. It is 12:15 AM. Actually it was exactly midnight but I wasn’t about to worry over 15 mins. Just one more little detail and we can go home to bed.

I head straight to the police station and pick up the phone to connect to the dispatcher. I tell her my name and that I am a local resident (like that will make a difference) and I need an officer to verify my odometer reading. Shortly a female officer comes out and asks me to explain just a little more clearly what it is I need. After doing so she gladly signs the form and fills in the address for the police station and the phone number. She even knew the first officer’s first name!

When I arrive home and open the garage door my wife is there with camera in hand. She shoots a quick picture of bike and rider then makes me a grilled ham and cheese. I love you too honey!

Fun Facts 1,056 miles

18.5 hours

57.08 mph avg.

44.22 gals of gas

23.88 mpg avg

5.21 gals. largest fill up

1.09 gals. smallest fill up

Sea level lowest elevation

7,200 ft highest elevation

93 deg. highest temp (est)

43 deg. lowest temp (est)

Most people ask me, Why? I guess the best answer is personal challenge. The next most popular question is, Was it fun? I guess it’s not a question of fun. It’s the challenge of accomplishment. It’s the Type A vs. Type B personality I guess. It may not be what most people would do for fun but then I like the personal satisfaction I gain from such an accomplishment. That makes me smile. Will I do it again? Next time we raise the bar to 1,500 miles in 36hrs. Then it’s 1,500 in 24 hours. New challenges.

Why? Let me ask you. Would you do it? If you say no, then that’s why I do. If you say yes, then you already know.

"Sometime it’s the trip and not the destination."

If you are interested in LD riding I strongly recommend you check out the Iron Butt Association online at www.ironbutt.com.